as for this cake, its a bit tasteless, not really sweet, there is slight bitterness, there is a bit of odd feeling lingering on the teeth, but this makes me sweat more than the other shou pu that ive had.

as for this cake, its a bit tasteless, not really sweet, there is slight bitterness, there is a bit of odd feeling lingering on the teeth, but this makes me sweat more than the other shou pu that ive had.

-darwin

I've had 08 LBZ Mao Cha before, (I think Hop said it before) that what draws LBZ different from others is bitterness (polyphenol?). So it might need more time of storage to be tender. I also felt some hint of nutty flavor..

On the other hand, it has stronger Cha Qi than any other Mao Chas out there..

hop_goblin wrote:It will be virtually impossible to pick up any LBZ characteristics from that cake as it appears to be shou. Shou, loses most of any of its mountain nuances due to the cooking process.

He is trying to say: "It all tastes the same."

I believe he is, to a very large extent, correct.

I've heard chefs say that Beef Bourguignon must be prepared with a specific wine, say a Santenay or a Pommard. Poppycock! Few people can regularly distinguish between the two in a blind tasting in a glass. I doubt that anyone can after it's been cooked for hours. Same with shu- they can be marvelous and compelling, but any hint of terroir will be left in the compost heap.

Some of my favorite shus are very inexpensive- the Changtai banna, Nanjian Jia Ji tuo (a whopping 3 bucks a pop), and the Menghai 7572.

hop_goblin wrote:It will be virtually impossible to pick up any LBZ characteristics from that cake as it appears to be shou. Shou, loses most of any of its mountain nuances due to the cooking process.

He is trying to say: "It all tastes the same."

I believe he is, to a very large extent, correct.

I've heard chefs say that Beef Bourguignon must be prepared with a specific wine, say a Santenay or a Pommard. Poppycock! Few people can regularly distinguish between the two in a blind tasting in a glass. I doubt that anyone can after it's been cooked for hours. Same with shu- they can be marvelous and compelling, but any hint of terroir will be left in the compost heap.

Some of my favorite shus are very inexpensive- the Changtai banna, Nanjian Jia Ji tuo (a whopping 3 bucks a pop), and the Menghai 7572.

All taste the same? No. Huge differences between them? No.

All taste the same is a little extreme. However, I believe that the small difference doesn't have anything to do with the leaves, but with the the fermenting process. That is why shu from the same company normally tastes the identical.

ive already broken up the cake into chunks a few months ago and placed it in a small ceramic jar for storage,
since this is a 2004 shou, i was thinking that its ready to drink already,
i usually have this for sunday morning tea at home,
and so far, there has been a transformation in taste,

any thoughts as to how much longer it would take to show its "real beauty"

Cooked Pu'er are ready to drink much faster than Pu'er. Many drink them right away. Most studies show that after 5 years Cooked Pu'er are at a great flavor. 3 years is okay, but maybe some improvement is still availible. Many drink their cooked right away.

odarwin wrote:ive already broken up the cake into chunks a few months ago and placed it in a small ceramic jar for storage, since this is a 2004 shou, i was thinking that its ready to drink already, i usually have this for sunday morning tea at home, and so far, there has been a transformation in taste,

any thoughts as to how much longer it would take to show its "real beauty"

-darwin

If storing in a ventilative place without flavor around, this shu cake can be drunk after two years. It would be better to store without lid if you put it into a small ceramic jar. General speaking, the best taste comes from five-year storage for shu cake. By the way, from your picture, it is a good ban zhang shu cake.